Soil series profile
Talbott soil series
Talbott is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 651,890 acres in 69 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 89% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.6 moderately acidic · range 5.6–5.8
- Mapped area
- 652k acres in 69 counties, 4 states
Typical Talbott profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (H1) | Silt loam | 5.6 | 26% | 20% | 1.25% |
| 5–30 in (H2) | Clay | 5.6 | 50% | 22% | 0.2% |
| 30–40 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |

What this means
What Talbott soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Talbott soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.6 (most land between 5.6 and 5.8). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 94% of mapped Talbott acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (69% of mapped Talbott acres).
>99% of mapped Talbott acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 97% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 99% of the acres in mapped Talbott soils very limited, <1% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Talbott soil is found
Mapped acres
Talbott is mapped in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia. The 60 counties with the most Talbott acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Wilson County, TN | 109,871 | 30.1% |
| Rutherford County, TN | 56,080 | 14.3% |
| Bedford County, TN | 54,354 | 17.9% |
| Marshall County, TN | 44,119 | 18.3% |
| Logan County, KY | 30,316 | 8.5% |
| Franklin County, TN | 21,864 | 6.3% |
| Claiborne County, TN | 21,410 | 7.7% |
| Decatur County, TN | 21,386 | 10.0% |
| Sullivan County, TN | 19,528 | 7.4% |
| Hawkins County, TN | 17,064 | 5.5% |
| Davidson County, TN | 16,166 | 5.0% |
| Marion County, TN | 12,647 | 3.9% |
| Maury County, TN | 12,256 | 3.1% |
| Hancock County, TN | 11,256 | 7.9% |
| Hamblen County, TN | 10,666 | 10.3% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 10,502 | 2.7% |
| Warren County, TN | 10,493 | 3.8% |
| Smith County, TN | 10,065 | 5.0% |
| Morgan County, AL | 9,698 | 3.0% |
| Union County, TN | 9,281 | 6.5% |
| Cannon County, TN | 9,123 | 5.4% |
| Grainger County, TN | 8,516 | 4.7% |
| Williamson County, TN | 8,466 | 2.3% |
| Wayne County, TN | 8,262 | 1.8% |
| Jefferson County, TN | 6,335 | 3.6% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 5,882 | 1.7% |
| Grundy County, TN | 5,528 | 2.4% |
| Madison County, AL | 5,412 | 1.2% |
| Knox County, TN | 5,290 | 1.6% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 5,175 | 1.2% |
| Franklin County, AL | 5,041 | 1.5% |
| Perry County, TN | 4,565 | 1.7% |
| Blount County, TN | 4,498 | 1.3% |
| Monroe County, TN | 4,429 | 1.1% |
| Jackson County, AL | 4,268 | 0.7% |
| Campbell County, TN | 3,976 | 1.3% |
| Washington County, TN | 3,723 | 1.8% |
| Cocke County, TN | 3,664 | 1.3% |
| Pulaski County, KY | 3,529 | 0.8% |
| Sevier County, TN | 3,442 | 0.9% |
| Catoosa County, GA | 2,540 | 2.5% |
| Carter County, TN | 2,538 | 1.2% |
| Trousdale County, TN | 2,518 | 3.5% |
| White County, TN | 2,409 | 1.0% |
| Cumberland County, TN | 2,350 | 0.5% |
| Putnam County, TN | 2,342 | 0.9% |
| Walker County, GA | 2,325 | 0.8% |
| Giles County, TN | 2,266 | 0.6% |
| Loudon County, TN | 1,935 | 1.3% |
| Rhea County, TN | 1,519 | 0.7% |
| Sumner County, TN | 1,425 | 0.4% |
| Dade County, GA | 1,348 | 1.2% |
| DeKalb County, TN | 1,235 | 0.6% |
| Robertson County, TN | 1,200 | 0.4% |
| Bibb County, AL | 1,188 | 0.3% |
| Coffee County, TN | 925 | 0.3% |
| Bradley County, TN | 769 | 0.4% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 748 | 0.4% |
| Sequatchie County, TN | 362 | 0.2% |
| Polk County, TN | 359 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Talbott acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.4% |
| Very limited | 98.7% |
| Not rated | 0.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Talbott acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 1.0 feet (12 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–35% (median 9%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.5% |
| C: slow infiltration | 88.8% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 8.4% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 2.3% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- All map unit components named Talbott (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 651,890 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Talbott components. The profile comes from the single largest Talbott component. Full methodology.